Megan settled her purse beside her on the chair, feeling more at ease with Harold than she thought she would. And comfortable enough to pursue her goal. “Is that how Patricia feels?”
He frowned, making the wrinkles on his forehead more prominent. “Of course she does.”
“Then why does she insist on playing tug-of-war with Andrew’s emotions?”
“We do no such thing,” he replied indignantly. “We love Andrew very much and would never hurt him that way.”
“But you are, intentionally or not.” She sat forward, not wanting to insult him but needing him to understand why an affable agreement between families was so important. “By alienating yourselves from Kane you’re putting Andrew right in the middle of your feud. The tension between the three of you is awful, and although Andrew may accept your behavior because he’s so young, he doesn’t know any better, and he may come to resent all three of you later for making him choose between you and his father.”
Regret filled Harold’s brown eyes. “I know,” he said softly.
Confusion rippled through Megan. “Then why do you allow this dissension to continue when it can all end with a few simple words?”
Harold stood, a weary sadness passing over his features. For a fleeting moment Megan thought he was going to ask her to leave, but he walked to the floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked the slow pace of Linden. He faced her and said, “Because my wife has never forgiven Kane for what he did to our daughter.”
Unable to believe the Lindens could be so shallow as to hold Kane responsible for what happened to Cathy, Megan’s stomach sank like a lead weight. She joined Harold at the window, ready to defend her husband. “What Kane did was own up to his responsibilities and marry the woman he got pregnant.”
He looked at her, obviously surprised by her knowledge of Kane’s relationship with Cathy. “He told you?”
“Yes,” she said quietly. “He also told me he loved Cathy very much.”
“And you must love Kane to go to this extreme.”
She smiled, unable to hide her feelings for her new family. “I love Kane and Andrew very much, and I don’t want either of them to be hurt by something that can be easily fixed.”
He sighed, suddenly looking much older than she believed him to be. “Megan, I know Kane isn’t a bad person-”
“Than how can you let everyone believe he killed your daughter?”
He cringed and flushed in embarrassment. “No one really
She stared at him in disbelief. “That’s even worse. He feels responsible for her emotional state when she died. The rumors about him killing her only compound his guilt.”
“I never knew.”
How could he have known when Kane wouldn’t let anyone close enough to learn the truth? The only reason she’d been privy to such information was that she’d practically pried it from him. “If a person hears something about themselves enough times they tend to believe it. How can you let a horrible lie like that keep circulating?”
“I didn’t, not intentionally.” Shaking his head, he moved away from the window to the credenza behind his desk. “As shameful as this might sound, I think it was easier for Patricia to cope with Cathy’s death if she could blame Kane rather than believe the truth.”
Megan crossed her arms over her chest and remained where she stood, not wanting to shatter this fragile moment of revelations. “Which is?”
Picking up a brass-framed photograph, he gazed at the picture of his young, beautiful daughter. When he finally looked at Megan, grief and loss shone in his eyes. “That we spoiled Cathy, and she married Kane with too many expectations.”
Megan had learned as much talking to Kane, but hearing Harold confirm it gave her an unexpected rush of relief. “Kane did the best he could to support his family.”
“I know that, but I never could refuse Cathy anything. She was our only child and knew just how to wrap me around her finger.” Harold rubbed his thumb over the glossy photo, a sad smile on his face. “When she asked me to give Kane a job here at the bank, I thought of it as a good employment opportunity for Kane and a way of keeping the business in the family. But most men do have their pride.”
“Kane has plenty of that,” Megan murmured wryly.
Harold set the frame on the credenza and lowered himself into his chair. “His father, Tom, was the same way. Very stubborn, but a hard worker. I respect that about Kane, but I also hoped he’d accept the job so he could take over the reins of the banking business after I retired”
“I don’t think Kane was cut out to wear a suit and tie,” she said lightly, remembering what Kane told her the night they’d discussed this topic.
“I think I always knew that.” He steepled his fingers in front of him, his expression thoughtful. “Kane had such a hard life. He lost his parents at an early age and raised his sister on his own. He never seemed to want anything beyond the ordinary and was quite satisfied working at the sawmill. Cathy wanted to mold Kane into something he wasn’t. I know their marriage was strained after he refused my job offer, and Cathy…well, she was unhappy because she wanted more than what Kane was capable of giving her.”
Megan dragged a hand through her hair, seeing the situation from two very different perspectives. She crossed to her chair and sat down.
“Patricia and I argued about Cathy’s situation,” he went on. “She thought Cathy should leave Kane, and I told her we needed to stay out of their business and let them work out their problems on their own. I thought it was a good dose of reality for Cathy, who’d had everything handed to her her entire life. She had a family of her own and needed to learn that sometimes there were sacrifices to make in a marriage. But Cathy was young and spoiled and made sure that everyone knew how miserable she was once Kane made it clear he wouldn’t take the job I offered.” He drew a long, shuddering breath. “And when she died, Patricia fell apart. The easiest thing for her to do was blame Kane.”
There was so much hurt on both sides, Megan realized. She ached for the Lindens’ loss, but they couldn’t continue blaming Kane for something he had no control over. Forgetting the past was impossible, but together they had to work on forgiving and building a new future. “This rift has got to stop.”
Harold discreetly wiped away a bit of moisture gathering on his bottom lashes. “It’s gone on for so long, I don’t think any of us know how to end it.”
But he wanted to. She could see it in his eyes. And that was a start. “You have to, for Andrew.” She wasn’t above using his grandson for leverage, not if that’s what it took to bring these two broken families together.
Harold nodded in understanding. “What can I do?”
“Well, for starters, we need to get Patricia and Kane together, to make them realize what we already know. Unfortunately, Kane is too proud to come forward on his own.”
“And Patty is too stubborn.”
“Then it’ll have to be up to us.” She leaned toward him, renewed enthusiasm lacing her voice. “How about if you bring her over for dinner, let’s say two weeks from this Friday? That should be enough time to convince her to talk to Kane.”
A crooked smile creased his mouth. “I think I’d have more luck bringing her over without any warning.”
He had a point, she thought, considering how much these two would resist a reconciliation. “Yes, that might be the best thing for Kane, too, no time to contemplate or get angry.”
“Megan,” Harold said hesitantly, “don’t expect too much. So many years have passed that it might take some time to get Patricia to accept Kane and you as part of the family.”
Picking up her purse, she stood. “I know, but it’s worth a try, for Andrew’s benefit.” Beneath all Patricia’s heartache and resentment there had to be enough compassion to give Andrew the family he deserved.
He smiled warmly. “Yes, you’re right. We’ll give it our best shot.” He came around the big desk that separated them, hand extended, his gaze expressing his gratitude. She slipped her slender fingers into his. “Thank you for stopping by. Andrew is very lucky to have you as a stepmother.”
“I’m even luckier to have him. He’s a wonderful little boy, and I only want the best for him.” She withdrew her hand and started for the door. “I’ll be in touch, Harold.”
“I hope you enjoyed the champagne.”
One hand on the doorknob, Megan stilled. She glanced over her shoulder, tilting her head curiously. Had he been the friend who sent them their bottle of champagne? “Pardon?”
If she hadn’t been looking so closely, she would have missed his quick wink and the twinkle in his eyes. “I said,
